The U.S. Department of Defense DoD will impose a freeze on hiring civilians, cut operating costs on military bases and take more immediate steps to reduce spending in preparation for the possibility that U.S. Congress will fail to reach a deal to avert billions of dollars in additional cuts, DoD officials said on Friday. If the White House and the Congress do not an agreement, the Pentagon would be subject to $52 billion in cuts this fiscal year — about 10 percent of its non-war-fighting budget.

If no agreement by March 1, the DoD would have seven months to erase the $52 billion from its current budget because the fiscal year ends Sept. 30. Cuts could affect defense programs, such as ship maintenance, purchase of new weapons and the military training programs.

A memo released Thursday by the Pentagon instructs all DoD forces and agencies to curtail spending on training, travel, office expenses and conferences. It also gives officials the authority to fire temporary workers.

The hiring freeze alone could have a significant impact on the economy in the Washington DC region (including Viriginia and Maryland). The Defense Department employs about 800,000 civilians worldwide, but many are concentrated locally.